Mexico's national team has a new commander in chief. After months of uncertainty and many possible candidates, FEMEXFUT decided to bet on a Colombian coach by the name of Juan Carlos Osorio, a decision that was questioned by all, fans and media that preferred to have a big star or, at least, a known character in the bench of their national team.
The problem is that most of the fans and some members of the media are not well prepared and they lack moderation when it comes about criticism. As Tuca Ferreti said just before leaving: “yesterday I was a defending coach, but now I am a genius. All thing made up by the media.”
And so, what media knows about Juan Carlos Osorio is that he was the coach for Puebla FC during 2011 and he lasted only seven games before being fired. In the world of soccer numbers are a hard proof, but what everyone forgot is that the Camoteros were playing a very attractive style of football without having any outstanding players. The reason that Puebla was not getting better results was because the team had poor preseason physical development.
But in spole of all of the criticism, Juan Carlos Osorio is a very prepared man for the job. The Colombian coach is madly passionate about soccer and its study. The first time I had the chance to interview him, we talked around 20 minutes about the opportunity that the Mexican side had during Brazil’s World Cup.
In that conversation from a year ago, the 53-year old explained to me the qualities he saw on the team coached by Miguel Herrera. During that time, he was far from being even a candidate for El Tri, yet he knew perfectly the advantages and risks of the Concacaf giant.
So it was no surprise that now that he already has a clear idea of what players he will use and how will he use them. I am positive that he is the best man for the job and here are the reasons why I believe this.
Osorio is not an improvising coach. It is far from it, really. The Colombian got the highest coaching degree from UEFA and is always trying to improve his knowledge of soccer and athletic performance. For his lineups, he not only considers the playing attributes of each member of the team, but also the athletic advantaged they may have in regard to the rivals.
To picture this more clearly, a colleague journalist just gave him the book “Del Bayern Munich al Bayern de Pep,” by Oscar Cano, which explains many tactical schemes that the Catalan coach has developed during his tenure in the most important team in Germany.
When he received the book, you could tell he was excited to see what he could get of Pep Guardiola’s knowledge. So all the fans can be sure, that the new Tri coach will know what he is doing on the field.
And, speaking of that, not only does he know what to do during the games, he is also very creative when it comes to training. Players under his rule love working with the guy nicknamed “The Recreationist," a nickname that began due to the way he developed the training sessions. When you see it from the sidelines, you can imagine that the players are just doing silly games, but in reality, the exercises are developed to be fun for the athletes and very, very effective to improve their performance.
These kinds of practices and the easygoing character of Osorio have made him a very beloved coach by the players who have worked with him. For the Mexican player idiosyncrasy this is a top factor, because they work far better with the coaches they like.
Also, Osorio has just the right players for his traditional 4-3-3 and it will be much appreciated to watch Mexico play like this. Tuca Ferreti gave us a hint on how the team can play with this tactical formation during the game against the USMNT.
With great talent on the attack, we can expect Osorio’s Tri to be very dangerous for their rivals. The 4-3-3 looks to open the field through the wings and making room in the center for players like Herrera or Guardado to exploit it.
So, expect great circulation of the ball, triangular moves in the upper third quarter of the field and many chances to score for the Mexican side in this new tenure.
And last but not least, Juan Carlos Osorio is a winning coach. The Colombian has under his belt a playoff appearance with the New York Red Bulls, four Colombian league titles, two Colombian cups and was the runner up for the 2014 Copa Sudamericana (the second most important tournament in South America).
In the end, time will prove if Guillermo Cantú and Decio de María were right in hiring Juan Carlos Osorio, but the new guide for El Tri has everything he needs to succeed in his tenure.
